Fostering Love

Disclaimers

I do not own anything in the Marvel universe, I just like playing in it.

This story will contain mature, ADULT content, so please do not read if you are not of age.

Author's notes: Let me start with saying that I try to avoid straying from the cannon universe in any fanfiction I write but to create the right scenario for this story to play out like I wanted, I had to tweak things a bit. For purposes of perspective, this story picks up where Thor: The Dark World began, when Jane becomes infected with the Aether (and alters quite a bit from that point on). Only in this scenario, the Aether strikes out at everyone, save one exception: Loki. But why would he be the only one the Aether does not feel the need to protect Jane from? Lokane (obviously). Enjoy!

Prologue

Jane had a secret that nearly no one, not even those closest to her, knew.

She didn't grow up in a normal family. Her parents were not her real parents. She grew up in foster care.

She never knew what happened to her original parents, she only knew that, regardless of the situation, they had left her. It was something that stung to think about even after all this time but she tried her best to keep it far from her thoughts.

It helped that a nice family had taken her in as a foster child when she was 14, so that she did not have to spend the entirety of her childhood in a foster facility. Her new "father" was a brilliant professor, and he had influenced her love for science. It was something that she could love without ever having to question if it loved her back. There was something so freeing in that feeling.

In time, she met Eric and then Darcy. They became her family in ways the family that had taken her in never could; they were always by her side, always sharing her excitement in chasing down another mystery that science might possibly hold the answer to.

When a night in the desert resulted in Jane meeting Thor and becoming enveloped in his life, entire other worlds of mysteries opened up to her and she had felt endlessly exhilarated ever since.

As was the nature of her research, she sometimes stumbled into dangerous territory. The possibility of danger hardly ever served to deter her though, so when Darcy asked her to check out a portal she had discovered in an empty warehouse, Jane never even considered how dangerous such a thing could be. Even when the portal suddenly sucked her into a dark other-worldly dimension, Jane could hardly contain her thirst to discover more long enough to realize she should have been very afraid.

Not that it mattered really, she would figure it out soon enough.

Chapter 1 - The Aether

As she came to, the first thing Jane became aware of was the harshly whispered voices of Thor and someone else as they argued. She couldn't discern what they were arguing about but Thor sounded really angry. She wanted to open her eyes and ask him what was wrong but her body wouldn't move. What was going on? Where was she? Why was she lying down? Why couldn't she get up? What happened?

Fear was overwhelming her and felt as if it was nearly suffocating her before she became aware of a soothing touch on her forehead. Smooth and cool, it served to calm her, and she could feel her panic recede just a little.

Was it Thor? Trying to open her eyes again, they finally responded to her command, though her eyelids felt heavy. Her eyes blinked open slowly, her vision fuzzy as she tried to adjust to the light in the room.

The first thing her eyes landed on was the man standing above her. She didn't recognize him immediately but she felt a strong sense of familiarity about him. She searched her memory. He was handsome. Tall, fair skinned, and had long black hair that brushed his shoulders. His clear green eyes were beautiful but sent a shiver through her as she looked into them. She couldn't recall ever having felt so exposed before, as if his eyes could see into her very soul.

She broke his gaze as he dropped his hand away from her forehead. Her eyes dropped down and she noted the clothing he wore, which appeared to be mostly black, green, and gold in color, metal and leather in material. The feeling of déjà vu increased and it suddenly struck her. This was Loki, Thor's brother, and the one who had unleased an army on New York.

Alarm rushed through her. Why was Loki here? She thought that he had been taken back to Asgard to be punished for his crimes in New York. But he was right here, standing before her and she didn't know why.

She recalled his touch moments ago and her confusion grew. The way he had touched her, it was obvious that he had been checking to see if she was running a fever. That made no sense given what she knew about him. He detested humans. He had killed so many of them. Why would he care about her well-being?

She felt her strength come back to her slowly, and she managed to turn her head slightly, immediately spotting Thor standing off to the side. He was facing an older man with an eye patch and she realized that he must be Thor's father, Odin.

And that could only mean one thing: she wasn't on Earth anymore. This was Asgard. Her forehead creased in confusion. Why was she here?

She tried to speak, her words coming out raspier than she had anticipated. "Thor?"

She tried to sit up, but found herself too weak to do so on the first try. Putting more force into it, she twisted up from her prone position on what appeared to be an examination table, to look at Thor as he rushed closer to her. She noticed that he stopped just short of reaching her, coming to an abrupt halt a few feet away from her, a distressed look on his face.

Jane looked around and noticed for the first time that it was not only she, Thor, Loki, and Odin in the room. There were also a few women who appeared to be nurses and some men dressed like guards near the doorway of the room. She didn't understand how she got here or why all of these people were here. "Thor, what's going on?" She hated that she sounded a bit scared then but she couldn't help it – she was scared.

Jane listened as Thor explained to her all that had happened. Still feeling a bit fuzzy, she could only gather the gist of it: she had been transported to the dark world, where something called the Aether - which sounded like some kind of alien parasite - had turned her body into its host. Heimdall had noticed her sudden disappearance, alerted Thor, and then transported her to Asgard at Thor's command.

She felt oddly calm despite this new information. She could only assume that was due to the shock she was experiencing.

Lost in her own thoughts, her focus came back to Thor as he explained that the Aether had lashed out at anyone who touched her. She felt her brow crease again as she took in his words. That didn't make any sense. "Loki was touching me just now. It didn't attack him."

A dark look flashed in Thor's eyes as he glanced up at Loki, who stood on the other side of the table she was still on. Thor looked reluctant to answer her, starting to say something and then closing his mouth again several times. Jane had never seen him act like this. Just as she was about to ask him why he wouldn't answer her, Loki answered for him.

"It would seem your body makes an exception for me," he stated silkily, no small amount of smugness in his tone. She thought she heard Thor growl in reply to that but could hardly tell over the roar of her own thoughts at his response.

What the hell did that mean? Her gaze ticked over to Thor, who looked like he desperately wanted to contradict Loki's declaration but was unable to. She looked down from Thor's eyes, noticing the distance between them with new eyes. Desperation radiated from him but he remained a few feet away from her. Almost as if he was afraid to come nearer.

She asked the only question she could manage to filter through the chaos in her mind. "Why would Loki be an exception?"

It was one of the nurses that answered now, but Jane noticed that she stayed far away from her. "The Aether has taken residence inside of you and has integrated itself with your being. It realizes your fragile state as a human, and has decided that any other living thing could be a threat to you and therefore protects you from everyone." The nurses' gaze ticked over to Loki for a moment before returning to Jane. "The only exception it makes is for your other half. In being your other half, that person is part of you, and is not recognized as an outside entity."

Jane felt more confused now than when the nurse first began talking. Her other half? What did that mean? And why would the Aether think Loki was her other half? She looked up at Loki to gauge his reaction to all of this, but he didn't look at all surprised by the information. Instead, he looked down at her with a look of barely concealed condescension, and informed her quietly, "That would mean we are soul mates, if you have not concluded that already."

Amid a twinge of irritation at his tone, Jane felt her heartrate begin to pick back up as this information filtered in. How was that possible? Loki… her soulmate? No. No way. There was no way that could be true.

She looked at Thor again, desperately wishing that he would suddenly burst out in laughter at their practical joke on her, but he only looked back at her solemnly, defeat in his eyes.

She felt her heart drop. Thor was the one she was meant to be with. He was her hero. Her knight in shining armor, her every childhood fantasy come to life, and actually hers. She sat up suddenly, ignoring how weak she still felt, and stepped down off the table onto the floor. She refused to believe anything they had told her. They were wrong, she knew they were.

Her legs gave out on her as she took a step forward, her body still too weak to support her. Thor rushed to her side, only to be thrown back into a wall with crushing force the instant he touched her. The sudden and unexpected outburst of power dropped Jane all the way to the floor. She was only sitting there for a moment, staring at Thor's prone body lying on the floor across from her when someone suddenly lifted her up against them, supporting her so she could remain standing. She could only assume it was Loki, but she couldn't find it in her to care who it was as she watched while several guards attempted to rouse Thor.

He came-to after only a few moments but she couldn't shake the immense guilt flooding every part of her.

She had hurt him. She hadn't meant to but they had told her that Loki was the only one that could touch her. Was she stupid? Did she honestly believe that Thor had not already tried to touch her and found he couldn't without the Aether attacking him? And still she had tried to touch him.

And she had hurt him.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched a guard finally get him back to his feet. She could see blood dripping down the side of his face from his hairline.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and Thor's head snapped up, a mix of desperation and anger in his stare. It took her a moment to realize that the anger was directed at Loki, standing directly behind her, and not her. She didn't know why though, she deserved it as well.

"It is no fault of yours, Jane. I promise you, we will fix this. Together…"

His vow was suddenly cut short as Odin bellowed out, "No!", the echo bouncing off the palace walls.

Jane jumped a bit in Loki's hold at Odin's booming voice, having almost forgotten he was there. She knew immediately that he was right though. Thor couldn't help her. She wouldn't allow it if it meant she might hurt him again.

As she knew he would, Thor immediately began to argue with his father but she was the one to interject this time.

"He's right, Thor," she said quietly, immediately silencing his outburst. She looked up through watery eyes, hating herself in this moment for having to hurt him further. "You can't help me," she whispered, her voice quivering. Her heart broke further as she looked into his eyes, his expression as pained as if she had physically struck him. "I'm sorry, but you can't. I can't hurt you again. Please don't ask me to."

He looked so helpless in that moment that she nearly wept. She hated hurting him this way but she would take hurting his pride over hurting him physically.

Thor's pained expression quickly turned to anger and he turned his rage back on his father. "What do you mean, 'no'? You cannot possibly be considering sending her back to Earth in her condition! We do not even truly know what ails her. It is not of Earth. Human healers will be useless in aiding her." His anger grew when Odin remained silent.

"You would have her perish?!" Thor nearly spit the words out, as if their very taste was bitter to him.

Odin replied calmly, "I do not propose we return her to her Earth. She will remain here for the time-being, until we can devise a way to remove the Aether from her body. Until that time, you, and everyone else in the palace, are to stay away from her."

Loki spoke up then, and Jane realized that he was still holding her, her legs still wobbly from the outburst of power that had rejected Thor's touch. "Save for me, isn't that right father?" he asked, satisfaction thick in his voice. He was enjoying that it pained Thor to watch his brother touch her while he could not.

Jane felt anger surge through her and used the strength it suffused her with to pull away from Loki and stand on her own. She shot a glare back at him, her tone sharp. "Can you please not use me as a means to hurt him? I've hurt him enough as it is."

He looked a little surprised at her venom but covered it quickly with an easy smile. "That was not my intention, my dear Lady Jane," he replied with sincerity, but she was sure he was lying. It was what he was known for after all.

Turning her attention back to Thor and Odin, she watched as Odin nodded solemnly. "Yes, I am afraid that with the situation being as it is, Loki will be the only one able to tend to Jane. She will need to stay in an unoccupied portion of the palace until we can determine the extent of the threat she poses."

Thor balked at that. "She poses no threat! She is ill, we need to…"

"We need to ensure the safety of our people!" Odin shouted back angrily. "You are fortunate I even allow her to stay here, given the threat she carries within her. If she is to stay, it will be on my terms, away from anyone she can harm until we can remove the Aether from her."

"And if we cannot?" Thor challenged, fear bleeding into the anger in his voice.

Odin cast a cool gaze on his eldest son. "Then her fate will be no different than that of any other human's," he replied with calm indifference.

Jane nearly flinched at his callous reply, realizing in that moment just of how little consequence her life was to him. She may as well have been a fruit fly he was speaking of. Her life was already so much shorter than those of Asgard. Of course it wouldn't matter to him if her already short life span was shortened further.

Real fear twisted through her gut then, sudden and sharp. She felt hopelessness swarm her. It didn't really matter if she died. Not to him. It didn't make her chances seem good.

Without meaning to, she took a step back towards Loki, only stopping when his hands landed on either side of her waist, supporting her suddenly weaker stance.

Thor looked incensed, nearly ready to lash out at his father, but Loki smoothly interjected, "Worry not, brother. I will keep her safe."

While his words sounded kind and considerate, Jane knew his true intention was to rub it in Thor's face that it would be he, and not Thor, protecting her. She felt the urge to slap him but tamped it down. It was becoming increasingly apparent to her that Loki was going to be the only one she would be able to depend on until they figured out how to get this thing out of her. …If they could get this thing out of her… And if that was the case, it would be wise to remain on his good side.

Before Thor could say anything else, she turned away from him and looked up at Loki. His clear eyes met hers and she sent him a silent plea to stop engaging. He looked unwilling to comply for a moment, eager to throw more fuel on the fire, but froze when she reached out tentatively to place her hand on his, squeezing gently.

Any hint of a smirk faded from his face then and he gave an imperceptible nod. "Shall we?" He angled his elbow for her to take hold of but she shook her head. When he only continued to look at her expectantly, she whispered harshly, yet pleadingly, "Please." She didn't want to hurt Thor any more than she already had. Watching Loki lead her from the room on his arm would only hurt Thor even more.

He looked a bit annoyed that she was ruining his fun but thankfully said nothing further. Instead, he turned on his heel and started walking away. She was alarmed for a moment but when he cast a glance back at her, she realized that he meant for her to follow.

Taking a fortifying breath in, she turned and quickly bowed in thanks to Odin. She found she didn't really want to thank him but figured it would be considered too great of an insult not to, considering he was allowing her to stay in his home. She cast a quick glance at Thor and gave him the most convincing smile she could muster as her vision swam. The look he gave her nearly broke her heart, so she turned away from him quickly, hurrying to catch up to Loki as he led the way to a remote portion of the castle, tears blurring her vision all the way.

Background information (PLEASE READ): I am basing the reason for why the Aether would make an exception only for one's soul mate on a myth from Greek mythology. In this myth, it is explained that humans originally looked very different from how they do today. The humans of this myth had two faces, four arms, four legs, and possessed both male and female genitalia. These humans were very powerful and possessed enough strength to rival the gods, so Zeus came up with a solution to the threat the humans posed that also served as a terrible punishment: split the body and soul in half, and in doing so, weaken the human's power. This resulted in humans coming to look as they do today: one face, two arms, two legs, and one set of genitalia. It was the splitting of the soul that caused the humans the most pain, leaving them to feel incomplete and consumed by the intense need to find their soulmate. Considering that the entire storyline of Thor is drawn from Norse mythology, I thought this myth tied in nicely (even though the myth of the soul mate actually comes from Greek mythology, not Norse), and answered why Loki being Jane's soulmate would make him the exception to Aether's attacks. The Aether does not identify Loki as a threat, because Loki is Jane's soulmate, meaning that he possesses the other half of her soul. The Aether protects Jane because she is its host, and since it identifies Loki as a part of Jane, it won't attack him either.

Well, I hope you liked chapter 1! It was very easy to write and hopefully it continues on that way. The title "Fostering Love" (beyond the obvious play on Jane's last name and the fact that I made her into a foster child in this story) will have more significance as the story unfolds – you will just need to wait and see.

Please let me know your thoughts if you have the time, I would really appreciate any feedback you can provide! I plan to try and update weekly but it would really help to motivate me if I knew people were anxiously waiting for more.